Brush with the Past
by Kagami Kyoji
Summary: It was to be a simple party with a military theme. However, when things go wrong, what could be behind the mishaps? Oh, and Tamaki seems a little different too... Update: Chapter 2 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything here

It was a now familiar sight to Fujioka Haruhi as she stepped into Ouran High School's Third Music Room. Suoh Tamaki, the club president, was entertaining his clients. When the boy realised that Haruhi had arrived, he gave the girl a wink. Haruhi quickly looked away.

Otori Kyouya, their vice president, was typing away on his laptop. The girl would love to smash a sledgehammer into it, if only to make her debt to the Host Club vanish. Still, despite herself, she was now finding her Host Club duties more enjoyable by the day, and she had no idea why that was the case.

The Hitachiin twins were thinking up new pranks to keep themselves occupied. Haninozuka Mitsukuni (aka. Hani-senpei) was having his afternoon nap, with Morinozuka Takashi (aka. Mori-senpei) keeping an eye on the short teen. Today should be a typical day, thought everyone in the Host Club. Not even Kyouya could have anticipated how "interesting" their lives were going to become...

Hani woke up from his nap, while Tamaki sent off his last guest (for the time being). Their bespectacled vice-president cleared his throat. It was time for their briefing. Hani grabbed a slice of cake before it began.

"Everyone, the theme for our party two weeks from now... would be the military." Some of the Host Club members mumbled among themselves. Tamaki went into one of his usual delusions about Haruhi. This time, it was the girl wearing a Girl Guide's outfit (which had nothing to do with the theme).

"Looks like our lord's at it again," sniggered Kaoru. His twin brother nodded his agreement. The two then proceeded to fawn over Haruhi.

"I'm sure Haruhi will look great in uniform. At least, she has that mature air around her, unlike someone we knew," said Hikaru as the brothers looked at Tamaki. The president promptly did his sulking-at-the-corner routine.

"Pardon my interruption, but I have already made the necessary arrangements." He then handed some notes to his fellow club members. Haruhi's eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she read what Kyouya had in mind.

"Chotto matte! Kyouya-senpei, you're using..."

"That's right. The Host Club would be cosplaying one of the most feared military forces in history, one which has stormed through much of the world: the Nazis of the Axis Powers." Despite the care-free personalities of the rich members (and the common sense of the one "poor" girl), everyone in the Host Club cringed slightly, not least because it was Kyouya who was speaking. The vice president smiled.

"Actually, one of my father's business associates is doing an exhibition on them. It would be cheaper if we could borrow their display items for the party." The club heaved a sigh of relief. They could trust Kyouya to drop such bombshells on them.

"Which, of course, brings me to my next point. Make sure all of you take care of the items assigned to you, especially you, Haruhi." Otori's smile didn't do much to cool the fire which was simmering in the girl's mind. Just exactly how much had he added to the debt, thought Haruhi. Mori had a question for the vice president.

"Do they have uniforms our size," asked the tall lad, as he pointed towards himself and Hani, who was munching away happily. Kyouya shook his head.

"Don't worry. The tailor's would have your clothes ready when the time comes."

Haruhi had a weird feeling about all this. It was "bad" enough that she had to dress like a guy most of the time here. But, wearing a military uniform was something totally different. But, there was nothing she could do about it. The twins, however, had their own ideas of how Haruhi would look like...

The day before the party, in the Host Club's room...

The members of the Host Club stared in wonder as Kyouya's henchmen brought in the stuff which they would be wearing. There was just something... special about them, thought the lot. The vice-president then handed out the badges and medals to the rest, while making a note of what they had received. After that, the twins wasted no time in grabbing their uniforms and dashing to the changing room. As the rest followed suit, Haruhi looked at her bundle. The uniform sure looked cool, she thought...

Kaoru and Hikaru grinned at each other. With their uniforms and garrison caps, complete with medals and armbands, they were going to kick up a storm at the next day's party. However, when their president stepped out of the changing room, the twins' mouths dropped to the floor. If they thought they were good-looking, Tamaki was definitely streets ahead when dressed up as an officer. The teen looked as if he had just stepped out of a history book. Tamaki smiled at the twins. He would be in a good mood whenever the twins were stunned by what he did.

"Just as I thought," said Kyouya as he walked towards the trio. Hikaru whispered to his brother.

"Do you think Otori-senpei looks a bit scarier now?" Kaoru shivered a little while nodding. If Kyouya overheard them, he didn't acknowledge it.

"You're going to be the star of the party tomorrow, Tamaki."

"I know," replied Suoh confidently. The last three members now presented themselves to the rest of the club. Mori made his outfit looked good as well. However, Tamaki couldn't resist swooning over Haruhi, even as she was dressed like a man. 

"Haruhi...Your father salutes you!"

"What an idiot," commented Hikaru as the president (really) gave Haruhi a salute. The girl wanted to cringe, but she sighed instead. She had somehow gotten used to Tamaki's ways.

"And to think that we were shocked by his looks. He gave himself away whenever he opens his mouth," reasoned Kaoru. As for Hani, the rest couldn't help but grin as the short teen held on to his bunny. No one would mistake him for a real officer, that's for certain. 

"Well, you guys should get yourselves into the mood tommorrow. We have a large crowd." The club members (except Suoh) saluted their vice president. Haruhi went along with the crowd. This was fun, she thought.

"Yes, Sir!"

At the party...

Everything turned out according to Kyouya's expectations. The "officers' ball" (as the party was called) was well-received the ladies. Hani's clients giggled at their "kawaii" host, even as he ate his sweets (with his bunny in tow). Mori's "stoic type" received a boost with his new outfit. ("Maybe, Mori-kun should join the military someday," commented a guest.) The twins were leading two guests in a dance (with the rest of their lot going green with jealousy). While entertaining his clients, Kyouya noticed that Tamaki seemed a little different today. The suave "officer" was chatting freely with his clients, as always. But, somehow, the feeling wasn't exactly the same.

Haruhi, on the other hand, had her clients fawning over her and taking pictures. She tried to comply as they snapped away by the room's windows. Suddenly, a creaking sound could be heard around the room. It became louder and louder. Then, "Crash!". Shards of glass were around the windows; every single one of them had shattered. Without further thought, Tamaki barked out his orders.

"Kyouya, see if any of the guests were hurt! Hikaru, call a doctor! Kaoru, get the cleaners here! The rest of you, please stay calm! We have everything under control!" The twins reached for their handphones.

Haruhi stared at the president. It was the first time where she saw that he didn't do anything stupid during a situation like this. Keeping calm and cool, Tamaki checked the guests together with Kyouya. Hani jumped on top of Mori's shoulders. Despite being the oldest, Hani felt that something supernatural was at work here. Mori kept his thoughts to himself. 

"Suoh, three of them had been cut by glass fragments," reported Kyouya.

"Lead them to the infirmary." Otori saluted his president and led them away. The accident, not to mention the groans of pain from the three, had definitely spoilt the mood of the party, thought Haruhi. However, Suoh had other ideas.

"If our guests do not mind waiting for a while, I seek your permission in allowing the ball to continue once the mess has been cleaned up." Another first, thought Haruhi. The ladies murmured among themselves. They decided to continue. Tamaki walked towards Haruhi.

"Are you alright, Haruhi?" The girl nodded. She couldn't believe that her heart was racing a little when he spoke to her. As the cleaners arrived and hurriedly cleared away the glass, Kyouya returned from the infirmary.

"Anything serious," whispered the president. Kyouya shook his head.

"Just some scratches. I've arranged for them to be sent home after they've been treated."

"Good. Since our clients have spoken, the show must go on."

Soon, it was back to normal. The Host Club members were professionals, after all. The twins resumed their dance in the middle of the room, under the chandelier. Then,...the object suddenly detached itself from the ceiling and came crashing down. Fortunately, the two were fast enough to get themselves (and their partners) out of the way. Tamaki was furious. Two incidents in a single night wasn't going to help the club's reputation. But, the clients must come first. After expressing his apologies over the night's scares, he "was sorry to announce the end of the party." As the guests filed out of the room, discussing the mishaps, Tamaki gave Kyouya a stern look.

"Otori, get to the bottom of this."

"I will." Without bothering to change out, Tamaki put on his cap and stormed out of the club room. The twins tried to relieve their tensions with small talk.

"Haruhi, you should consider becoming an officer. You looked handsome in this," complimented Hikaru.

"You two look good too. Those garrison caps were a nice touch." Kyouya coughed.

"If there's nothing else, I suggest that all of you take your leave. I'm getting some guys over here to investigate," said Kyouya, pushing up his spectacles at the same time. The gloves and officer cap added a sinister (though unintentional) twist to his words. The rest of them hurriedly went to the changing rooms. The vice president then walked over to the broken chandelier, the glass cracking under his jackboots. After examining the bolts, he realised that they were not tampered with. It was as if the whole thing had unscrewed itself from the ceiling. Kyouya frowned. What could be behind all this? He stood up and looked outside through the broken windows. It was a full moon night, and a cool breeze was now blowing into the room...

Afterthoughts

-I hope that the Host Club are not OOC, except for Tamaki (That's intentional.).

-Inspired by the cover art of Chapter 10 from the manga, where the seven of them dresses up as "Nazi" officers. Had to be seen to believe it.

-Come to think of it, Tamaki would fit the Nazi model of an "Aryan". Just food for thought...

-Please RnR! 


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later...

Kyouya frowned as he stared at the screen of his laptop. Although the make-up party went without a hitch, the cost of the windows and the chandelier weighed on his mind. He took a look at the other members. Good, Haruhi was around.

"Haruhi, would you please come here for a moment?"

"Yes, Kyouya-senpai?"

"Could you inform Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai that they can take home their uniforms, since they were tailor-made? Come to think of it, you could do the same too."

"This means..." Haruhi had a bad feeling about the part concerning her.

"Of course, the fees would be added to your debt," said the vice president as he pushed up his spectacles. The girl squirmed.

"I knew it..."

"Oh, Tamaki, you've not returned your set yet."

"I'll like to borrow it for a while longer."

"But, we'll have to return them today." Kyouya hated it whenever Tamaki did something like that. The president gave his deputy a look.

"I said that I would like to borrow it for a while longer." The steely edge to his voice told Kyouya that there wasn't any room for negotiation.

"The lord sure is scary today," commented Hikaru.

"Now that you mentioned it, when was the last time he did anything dumb," asked Kaoru thoughtfully.

"The day he got the uniform, when he saluted Haruhi," replied his twin brother. 

"Something's wrong with Tama-chan." Hani pointed out the obvious. Mori grunted in reply. Kyouya decided that he would have to come up with an answer to his associate. The president dropped another bombshell as he got up from his seat.

"Cancel all my appointments today. I'll be away."

"If I remembered correctly, Tamaki-senpai never cancelled any of his sessions before," said Haruhi. The rest of the members around her nodded their agreement. Kyouya's eyes narrowed as they followed Tamaki out of the room...

Later...

Kyouya was busy matching the inventories of the stuff which he had borrowed with an employee. A tall, well-built man walked up to him.

"Kyouya-kun! How was the party?" The teen bowed respectfully.

"It went very smoothly, thanks to your help, Hiwatari-san." The business associate looked thoughtfully at the uniforms that were being transported by the handlers.

"So... this particular one didn't give you any trouble?" Kyouya's heart skipped a beat. It had been the set he was wearing.

"Hiwatari-san..." The older man decided that some explanations were in order.

"Surely, you've heard of 'the Night of Broken Glass' in Germany during the Nazi era, haven't you? The uniform was supposed to be from an SS officer who took part in that night of violence against the Jews. I've heard stories that while it was on display at other exhibitions, anything made of glass around the uniform would mysteriously develop cracks on them." The colour drained from Kyouya's face as he remembered stepping on the broken shards of glass that night...

"Kyouya-kun?"

"Hiwatari-san, could you tell me more about the other uniforms?" The teen tried to hide the anxiety in his tone.

"Sure. If you would come this way..."

Meanwhile, at Tamaki's mansion...

The blond teen took a look at the data which his servants had gathered on his behalf. He then looked at his set of uniform. The Iron Cross on it gleamed in the sunlight...

Shima Maezono looked on uneasily as the young master walked down the flight of stairs to the ground floor. Being the elderly lady that she was, the sight of Tamaki in that uniform brought back some unpleasant memories. However, he was, after all, the man of the household.

"Shima, if anyone's looking for me, tell them to come back tommorrow," said the teen while adjusting his gloves. The elderly lady bowed. But, even the least observant of the maids noticed that their young master had been dead serious this couple of days. Shima uttered a prayer for Tamaki. She sensed that her young master may be in some kind of trouble...

After what seemed to be a short moment, the car stopped outside an old graveyard in the outskirts of Tokyo. With a boutique of white lilies (prepared by the servants), the teen walked towards a common grave. Although he had never been there before, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. As he set the flowers down near the tombstones, he noticed that the tombs had been well-looked after. He smiled.

"Otosan, Okasan, I've come back to see both of you one last time." He rose to his feet; before leaving, he stood to attention and saluted the tombs. As the driver opened the door for the teen, he could have sworned that he saw a single tear flowing down Tamaki's cheek...

At Kyouya's place...

The vice president's investigations were fully underway. Still, it would take some time for his sources in Germany to come up with a reply. No matter. Even if he was to skip school tommorrow, he would get to the bottom of the matter before he went to bed tonight...

The next morning...

"Tamaki-sama! You're going to be late for school," called out a maid. The teen nursed his head as he woke up. His mind was a blank. He had no idea what had happened since yesterday afternoon. Fighting to stay awake, he prepared for school...

In class, he noticed that Kyouya wasn't around. That's strange; his friend never skipped school without a good reason. But then, strange things seemed to be happening to him recently: the fiasco of the first party, and the sporadic memory blocks he had ever since...

At the host club after school, he was surprised to see that it was still closed. Entering the music room, he saw the rest of the members standing behind Kyouya and a middle-aged stranger. Tamaki frowned.

"Kyouya, who's this? The Host Club should be opening for business soon."

"Take a seat. I've decided to close the club for today. We need to talk." Also, with him dropping into bed only at five in the morning, Kyouya wasn't in the mood to entertain any guests for the day. As the president sat down, he noticed that the other members were staring at him as though they had seen a ghost.

"First of all, I'll like you to take a look at this." The vice-president passed Tamaki a well-framed black-and-white photograph. The teen gasped. It was an older-looking man (who was a splitting image of himself) wearing a Nazi uniform. He gave Kyouya a stare.

"This gentleman here is Himura-san. He's a nephew of the man in the photograph, whose name is Hans Ratzinger." At this point, the man cleared his throat.

"My uncle Hans was half-Japanese, you see. His father was an official at the German embassy during the turn of the century. One day, on the streets, Albert Ratzinger met my great-aunt, Himura Ayako, and fell in love with her. Despite my grandparents' initial objections, they eventually agreed to the marriage, and Hans was born on April 8th, 1910." Himura paused to sip his tea. By now, Tamaki's mouth was falling open. They even shared the same birthday...

"After he came to Japan from Germany, Albert lost contact with his own family. As such, he was very close to the Himuras. He taught Hans German and Japanese, and Hans was my father's childhood playmate. However, with the rise of Adolf Hitler back in his homeland, Albert decided to send his son back to Germany. He figured that it was the least he could do for his home country."

"Uncle Hans agreed to the arrangement. When he arrived in Germany, he quickly rose through the ranks. Hans would often write to his parents, telling them of his achievements. The proud father had by then ordered a uniform to be made according to Hans' measurements. With every new award, he would add a replica to his copy of the uniform."

"This was one of the letters he sent home to Japan," said Kyouya, passing Tamaki a well-framed letter. Although it had yellowed slightly from age, the writing on it was still legible. The teen's voice trembled slightly as he read out the letter.

"Dear Mama and Papa,

Today was a day to celebrate. Besides being our Great Fuhrer's birthday, I received the Iron Cross, Second Class, for valour in combat during my time in the Afrika Korps. In fact, I had the honour of having the Fuhrer pinning the Cross on my uniform. To be choosen from so many to receive this privilege... The joy in my heart could only be surpassed when I see both of you again after this war has ended. Although we had suffered a few defeats, I'm sure that our Axis alliance would see final victory. Even as I'm stationed here in Berlin, my heart goes out to all warriors of the alliance, as they fight against our Allied enemies, and to both of you, my parents. I hope to receive your reply soon, as always..."

"Your son, Hans Ratzinger, April 20, 1944," ended Tamaki. Hani's eyes were already wet. The twins, Haruhi, even Mori was moved by the man's sincere words. Kyouya sighed.

"Ayako-san never got to read this letter. She died of an illness a day before the letter reached Japan. Albert hid the news of her death from Hans; the father too passed away three weeks later, from a broken heart."

"What about Hans," asked Tamaki in a soft voice. Kyouya continued the story.

"Exactly a year after this letter was written, Hans was killed in the Battle of Berlin, defending the city against Soviet troops. He never knew that his parents had passed on before him."

"Thanks to Kyouya-kun here, we finally knew what happened to Uncle Hans in the end. When he failed to return to Japan, my father already assumed the worst. But he never gave up hope, nor did he give up the set of uniform which Hans' father had painstakingly kept with him during the war. After my father died, I decided to donate the uniform to a foundation. Eventually, it made its way into your hands," said Himura. Suddenly, the man stood up and gave Tamaki a bow.

"Thank you, Tamaki-kun, for helping my uncle to fulfil his final wish." Tamaki looked at Kyouya again.

"We went to the couple's graves earlier today, and saw the white lilies. We figured that it was you who put them there."

"I don't remember visiting any grave recently..." The teen's voice trailed off when he realised what had happened. By now, his own eyes were wet with tears. Suddenly, he smiled.

"Well, at least I did a good deed in my dreams." The Host Club smiled. Their president was back. Himura rose to leave. Before he stepped out of the room, he looked at Tamaki.

"Actually, Tamaki-kun, there's one more similarity between you and Hans."

"What's that, Himura-san?"

"Uncle Hans had a Japanese name as well. It's... Tamaki. As for the uniform, I leave it to you to decide its fate." As their guest walked away, Tamaki decided what needed to be done...

At the Suoh residence, a short while later...

With the rest of the members looking on, Tamaki placed Hans' framed photo in a cupboard housing his uniform, officer cap and decorations. The cupboard itself was placed in the attic, and the young master left instructions to the servants that it and its contents be cleaned once every week.

"Tamaki-senpai helped a son fulfil his final duty. Well done!"

"Haruhi, your face's so kawaii when you praise others! Let Daddy give you a hug!" As the president chased the girl, Hikaru sighed.

"Somehow, I feel that Hans should have possessed the lord for a while longer." Hani shook his head.

"No. If he remained like that, he wouldn't be our Tama-chan now, would he?" The rest of the members smiled, even as Haruhi was trying to free herself from Tamaki's grasp. Kyouya looked at the display one more time. The Iron Cross on the uniform seemed to shine brighter than ever before...

Afterthoughts

-Hope all of you enjoyed the story (although it didn't turn out the way I thought it to be).

-Please RnR! 


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